Chapter Summaries

The Black Captain’s team tracked the Messiah group to the Joestar Apartments, where Huang Ji outmaneuvered the sniper and led his allies out. The group escaped the building, while Alan changed positions and remained a threat.

• After learning that two of his men had been killed, the Black Captain identified Lin Li as a trained fighter and considered whether the Messiah group had discovered their mole.
• The Black Captain ordered Alan and two others to stay and watch the Joestar Apartments while he headed toward the Cambridge Recreation Center, believing the group might still be inside.
• Huang Ji predicted the enemy would leave two watchers behind, rigged firecrackers to shatter windows around the building, and sent Lin Li, Sophia, and Chuan Zhi toward the back door as a decoy.
• Huang Ji disabled the observer in the lobby and sent him out the front entrance in a target’s clothes; Alan mistook him for an enemy and killed his own teammate.
• Huang Ji fired toward Alan’s position, forcing the sniper to change locations, then led Sophia, Chuan Zhi, and Lin Li away from the apartments.

Alan dueled a pistol-wielding sniper who kept disrupting his positions while helping Sophia and the others escape. Realizing the opponent had deliberately drawn his fire and returned to Room 801 despite the police, Alan ended the duel and let him go, recognizing him as Lin Li.

• Alan repeatedly predicted the sniper’s positions and exchanged fire with him, while both men relocated through Joestar Apartments.
• After the police arrived, Alan realized the sniper’s shots had been deliberately inaccurate and were meant to hold his attention while Sophia and the others escaped.
• Alan recognized that the sniper had returned to Room 801, a murder scene, to signal that he knew Alan had returned to his original position.
• Alan threw his rifle outside as a signal that the duel was over, then packed up and left the building.
• Alan identified the opponent in the photograph as Lin Li, a master sniper, and vowed to face him again when he had a proper gun.

Huang Ji explained how Lakur was exposed as the mole through his failure to call Maici, and arranged a plan to catch him lying without alerting him. At the Cambridge Recreation Center, Lakur contacted the Illuminati while the others gathered, setting the stage for Huang Ji and Sophia to confront him.

• Huang Ji told Sophia and Chuan Zhi that Lakur was the mole because he alone had not called Maici while the others searched for him.
• Huang Ji showed them the call records and instructed them to notify everyone except Lakur and buy a phone.
• The Black Captain’s mercenaries took positions around the Cambridge Recreation Center as Sophia, Chuan Zhi, and Huang Ji arrived without Lin Li.
• The Black Captain learned that Alan had let Huang Ji escape and ordered Alan to hurry to Cambridge.
• Lakur called the Black Captain, then lied to Babuloso that he had contacted the Emperor; Babuloso recognized the lie because Sophia had warned him about Lakur.
• Maici arrived with Chu Shaojun and explained that his phone had gone missing, then Sophia entered with Huang Ji and Chuan Zhi and announced that they had been attacked.

Huang Ji exposed Lakur as the mole by secretly relaying his messages to the group, while the Illuminati began an assault on the KangLe Center. The Black Captain’s forces entered the sewers and lost two men to an unseen sniper, whom he identified as Lin Li, while Lin Li calmly ate at McDonald’s.

• Sophia and Chuan Zhi suspected a traitor, and Huang Ji noticed Lakur lacked call records showing he had tried to reach Maici.
• Lakur lied about calling Maici, then left the KangLe Center and texted the Illuminati that Sophia had the superconductor.
• Huang Ji revealed that Lakur’s phone had been swapped for a tampered phone that relayed messages, then sent the Illuminati a false report about the group’s escape route and Lakur’s car.
• The Black Captain ordered his forces to search the KangLe Center and sewers, while a rocket attack destroyed Lakur’s car and killed him without finding the superconductor.
• After the mole warned the Black Captain about a bomb, Jier and Jack lost contact when a sniper attacked them outside the center.
• The Black Captain identified the hidden sniper as Lin Li and called Alan for help, while Lin Li ordered another Big Mac meal at McDonald’s.

Huang Ji used ricochet calculations and precise control of the enemy’s vision to protect Messiah and slip past the mercenaries. He reached a detached building and planned to take out the Bell Tower’s lookout, while the enemy still believed the group was hiding in the Sauna Center.

• Huang Ji guided Babuloso’s shots off a steel pillar, killing two mercenaries behind cover and demonstrating his ricochet technique.
• Huang Ji explained that Babuloso should fire because Huang Ji understood gun mechanics but had never used a firearm before.
• Huang Ji marked ricochet points around the garden corridor so Babuloso could cover several approaches, while Chuan Zhi made an aluminum-foil suit to conceal one person from thermal imaging.
• Huang Ji used a shot to shatter the window near Bosika and draw the Black Captain’s attention toward the western-style house.
• Huang Ji crossed the watched road by timing his movements to gaps in the observers’ vision, then reached a detached building undetected.
• Huang Ji identified the Bell Tower as the key lookout position and called for Alan to hurry.

Huang Ji infiltrated the enemy team’s positions, using a civilian decoy and stolen gear to kill or mislead several soldiers. Alan mistakenly believed he had shot Huang Ji, but the chapter ended with Adi revealing that Alan had shot him instead.

• Alan shattered his scope when Huang Ji shot at him, then directed Bosika and the others to watch the houses around the KangLe Center.
• Huang Ji silently knocked out Adi, took his clothes and headset, and used Adi’s body to stage a civilian decoy that Bosika blew up with a grenade.
• Huang Ji killed Bosika and fired Bosika’s assault rifle at the Black Captain, while Alan concluded that Huang Ji had moved into Bosika’s house.
• Sacco’s grenade was batted away with a board and exploded near him, and Alan removed his headset so Huang Ji could not hear further commands.
• Huang Ji used another grenade and Bosika’s unconscious body to create a target for Alan, who fired through the smoke and believed he had hit Huang Ji.
• Alan praised Adi for throwing the grenade, but Adi’s dying reply revealed that Alan had shot him.

After Alan accidentally shot Adi, the Black Captain changed the team’s communications and ordered an attack on the Messiah members at the KangLe Center. Lin Li ambushed the Black Captain in the Bell Tower, but the attacker was Huang Ji, who knocked him out and discovered information about Burning Devotion Sentinels.

• Alan realized he had shot Adi after removing his earpiece, then regained his composure and accepted responsibility.
• The Black Captain switched the team to phone messages, ordered two underground groups to enter the KangLe Center from above, and told a third group to block the escape route.
• The Black Captain sent Alan to check on Adi near Bosika and warned him that Lin Li might still be nearby.
• An attacker ambushed the Black Captain in the Bell Tower, broke his wrist, dislocated his left arm, and took his phone.
• The Black Captain tried to fight back, but the attacker dodged his kick and knocked him unconscious with one punch.
• The attacker removed his mask, revealing himself as Huang Ji, who examined the Black Captain’s phone and learned about Burning Devotion Sentinels.

Alan fought Lin Li and the approaching squads while injuries and a sedative dulled his judgment, accidentally killing teammates Bohr and Sacco. Lin Li admitted he had spared Alan with a nonlethal shot, while Muni’s group received orders to retreat to the church and watch for Alan.

• Alan mistook the badly wounded Sacco for Lin Li and killed him with a knife, then concealed his role when he reported Sacco’s death.
• Alan hid in a villa as the squads surrounded him, escaped a grenade blast, and fought back with grenades and gunfire, killing three people nearby and Owen.
• Alan mistook Bohr for Lin Li and shot him dead, then realized the captain had warned him that Bohr was coming to help.
• Alan questioned Lin Li over the radio and learned Lin Li had deliberately aimed for his shoulder to repay the life Alan had spared earlier.
• Muni received the captain’s order to retreat to the church and remain wary of Alan after Bohr and Owen’s group was wiped out.

Alan survived Lin Li’s long-range shot and escaped, while Muni’s team discovered that Alan had killed multiple teammates and lied about Sacco. The captain’s fate remained unclear as Muni received a message from Bosika’s number claiming to be from the captain.

• Alan found the bodies of teammates he had accidentally killed in the fighting and realized Bohr’s men had mistaken him for Lin Li.
• After the Bell Tower exploded, Lin Li shot at Alan, but Alan dodged the bullet and secretly fled while pretending to be dead.
• Alan recalled his experiments under the Illuminati and resolved to survive so he could earn a cure for his genetic defect.
• Muni and his team returned aboveground, found their dead teammates, and concluded that Alan had lied about Sacco’s death and killed many of their own.
• Muni received a text from Bosika’s number that claimed to be from the captain.

The Black Captain survived Lin Li’s ambush, but Alan mistook him for Lin Li and shot him from the Bell Tower. Muni’s men then turned on Alan, who fought them off and headed toward KangLe Center to reach the superconductor and persuade Saya.

• The Black Captain crawled through the Bell Tower and tried to warn Muni by phone, while Lin Li disrupted his calls and impersonated him.
• Alan mistook the Black Captain’s head for Lin Li’s and shot him, prompting Muni to lead his men to surround Alan’s hiding place.
• Muni’s men threw grenades into the house, but Alan survived the blast and tried to explain that Lin Li had used the captain’s phone.
• Alan killed three teammates and mortally wounded Muni, who accused him of betraying the team and being a failed experiment.
• Alan killed Muni, picked up his assault rifle, and staggered toward KangLe Center to get the superconductor and seek Saya’s help.

Lin Li brought the gravely wounded Alan to Messiah after disarming his bluff, while Saya learned that the Black Gun Mercenary Group had been destroyed and renewed his hunt for Kaluo. The chapter left Saya enraged at the new traitor and determined to capture Kaluo.

• Huang Ji told Lin Li to bring Alan along, and Lin Li dragged the wounded mercenary away despite Alan pointing an empty pistol at him.
• Alan broke free in the parking lot and fired wildly at Messiah, then fell and knocked himself unconscious.
• Saya crushed a middle-aged man beneath a lead ball after learning Kaluo had missed their meeting.
• Michelle told Saya that the Black Gun Mercenary Group had been wiped out, apparently after turning on itself, and that Alan's whereabouts were unknown.
• Saya suspected that Kaluo had recruited Alan as an agent, vowed to catch Kaluo, and killed the middle-aged man for making excuses.

After defeating the Black Gun Mercenary Group, Huang Ji examined Alan and discovered how his genetic defect accelerated his growth while shortening his life. He agreed to help Messiah rescue Michael before deciding whether to join, and learned that Hawking would host a time-travel party at Cambridge in three days.

• Huang Ji credited Alan and Babuloso with killing the mercenaries and said he might use Alan to reverse-engineer the Illuminati's genetic drugs.
• Sophia explained that Messiah had struggled to reproduce the Illuminati's genetic enhancements, and Huang Ji said he would consider joining only after meeting Emperor.
• Huang Ji, Chu Shaojun, Old Wang, Sophia, and Babuloso planned to rescue Michael, the remaining person who could contact Emperor.
• Huang Ji examined Alan in a Cambridge safe house and found that his enhanced abilities came from a condition that left him only two years to live.
• Huang Ji learned that Hawking would hold a time-travel party at Cambridge on June 28 and decided to attend.

Morey repeatedly sedated Michael, who stopped breathing after receiving Propofol, while delaying the ambulance call. Huang Ji and his companions forced their way in and revived Michael, but Huang Ji pulled a gun when Morey said he had to go to the hospital and wait for police.

• Michael told Morey he had come to London for his final concert and wanted to sleep before meeting fans, but escalating sedatives failed to ease his anxiety.
• Morey injected Michael with 25 milligrams of Propofol, then left him alone; at 10:52, Michael stopped breathing.
• Huang Ji, Sophia, Williams, and the others entered the room, where Huang Ji removed the IV and began treating Michael as Williams called an ambulance.
• Huang Ji injected Michael's heart, used a pacemaker and defibrillator, and restored his breathing and heartbeat before the emergency team arrived.
• Huang Ji drew a gun when Morey told him to accompany them to the hospital and wait for police.

After Huang Ji and his allies saved Michael from a drug-induced cardiac arrest, they decided to stage repeated assassination attempts to make killing him too costly for the Illuminati. Their plan began immediately when an unknown person planted a grenade on Morey, which exploded at Michael’s ward and left Morey under arrest.

• Michael was taken to Thames Medical Center as Huang Ji and the others fled, while Morey and Williams gave conflicting accounts to the police.
• The hospital’s findings and media coverage turned public opinion against Morey, and crowds gathered outside demanding punishment as Michael remained under observation.
• Huang Ji proposed that his group fake repeated attempts on Michael’s life to provoke public pressure and make the Illuminati abandon its plans to kill him.
• Old Wang and the others agreed to carry out Huang Ji’s plan, accepting that the Illuminati would target them in response.
• After a caller told Morey to confess to negligent homicide and rely on his lawyer, an unknown person slipped a grenade into Morey’s pocket.
• Morey threw the grenade after discovering its pulled pin, and it exploded at Michael’s ward; police arrested Morey and increased security around Michael.

Huang Ji, disguised as an Illuminati Assassin, forced Morey to keep trying to kill Michael while secretly controlling his options. Morey’s attempts failed, and Huang Ji left him facing a one-day deadline and a bomb meant to kill him if he abandoned the mission.

• Huang Ji rescued Morey from police custody, beat him, and claimed Mr. Charles had ordered Morey to kill Michael or be killed himself.
• Morey tampered with Michael’s medication, but police arrived before the drugs could be used, and Huang Ji escaped them by disguising himself as an officer.
• Huang Ji supplied Morey with a disguise, a gun, and a flash grenade, then cut the lights as Morey approached Michael’s room; Morey threw the grenade too early and fled.
• Morey proposed planting explosives outside the operating room, and Huang Ji revealed a Sticky Bomb hidden in the restroom toilet tank as a threat in case Morey gave up.
• Huang Ji gave Morey one day to kill Michael and warned that he would kill Michael himself if Morey failed.

As Morey’s attacks on Michael continued, the media turned scraps of overheard conversation into increasingly elaborate reports that repeatedly proved true. The chapter ended with the mayor learning that yet another assassination attempt might have occurred, just as he insisted no such attack had happened.

• The media reported that Morey had bombed the ICU, poisoned Michael, and attacked police, while Sophia fed Bilson a vague rumor about a bomb in the operating room.
• The Sun embellished Sophia’s rumor into a report about a remote-controlled bomb, and police then discovered and dismantled a Sticky Bomb in the operating room.
• The mayor confronted the Chief of Police over the inaccurate reports, then held a press conference and denied that the Illuminati was behind the attacks.
• A reporter revealed a sixth attempt on Michael during his transfer, and police spotted an armed figure disguised as a doctor before the lights went out and the shooter escaped.
• The mayor blamed the chaotic hospital crowd for hampering the manhunt and announced plans to move Michael, but a reporter asked whether Morey had cut the elevator cables, prompting the mayor to deny it.
• The Chief of Police signaled the mayor that the elevator-cable report might be true, leaving the mayor’s denial hanging.

The police repeatedly thwarted Morey’s assassination attempts on Michael by following the media’s increasingly accurate guesses, while Chief of Police sought out reporter Bilson. Huang Ji secretly directed Morey toward one last attempt, then deceived the true Illuminati Assassin, Orange Hawk, as the danger to Michael continued.

• The mayor ordered Michael moved and Morey arrested after police discovered the elevator had been sabotaged, but Morey launched a series of further attempts using fire, poison gas, an explosive lampshade, poisoned water, and tampered ambulance brakes.
• Chief of Police relied on The Sun’s reports to anticipate the attacks and identified Bilson as the reporter whose guesses repeatedly came closest to the truth.
• Police brought Bilson in and described their plans to protect and transfer Michael; Bilson warned that Morey might disguise himself as an officer and exploit a mole or an unrecognized policeman.
• Huang Ji told Sophia where to find an unconscious officer and instructed Morey to wear a police uniform and approach Michael in the parking lot.
• Huang Ji pretended to Orange Hawk that Morey would try again, then hung up after Orange Hawk threatened to deal with Michael himself.

Morey was captured after Bilson predicted his disguise, but Orange Hawk poisoned him before he could be secured, and Morey died after publicly declaring that the Illuminati was real. The revelation sent the media and public into a frenzy while Nick and Orange Hawk continued hunting the Messiah people, especially Lin Li.

• The police found an officer unconscious with his uniform and gun missing, and Morey emerged from a car trunk in disguise as officers prepared to move Michael.
• Morey surrendered and begged for protection, while Bilson celebrated his correct prediction and compared himself to the spy Garci.
• Nick learned the police had captured Morey and told Orange Hawk to leave Michael alone while they searched for the Messiah people.
• Orange Hawk poisoned Morey, and Nick disguised the incident as a heart attack, but Morey used his final strength to proclaim that the Illuminati was real.
• Morey's death and declaration sparked worldwide media coverage, while Nick and Orange Hawk discussed targeting Lin Li and waiting for Saya's team.

The authorities blamed Morey’s attack on his terminal illness and the media’s sensationalism, while the Daily Mail turned his shouted claim about the Illuminati into a viral joke that buried public concern. Huang Ji explained to Chu Shaojun and Sophia why public opinion could not defeat the Illuminati, then sent them toward Greenwich Hospital as he prepared to work with the newly recruited Alan.

• The Mayor of London and the Chief of Police announced that Morey had brain cancer and had tried to kill Michael to become famous, while rejecting the idea that the Illuminati had directed him.
• The Daily Mail described the Freemasons and the Illuminati, mocked Morey’s final words, and helped turn “The Illuminati is real” into a viral catchphrase.
• Television hosts, sports commentators, singers, and charities copied the phrase, spreading the joke across Europe and pushing serious discussion of the Illuminati aside.
• Chu Shaojun and the others complained that the Illuminati had escaped the scandal, and Huang Ji explained that public attention faded quickly and that banning the organization would only make its members change its name.
• Huang Ji told Chu Shaojun to go to Greenwich Hospital and revealed that their car had a tracker; he also said Alan had awakened and Lin Li had persuaded him to join.

Alan joined Lin Li’s group after Lin Li promised that Huang Ji could cure his genetic defect, and he revealed that the Little Greys traded for humans as food. As Lin Li and Alan headed to Greenwich Hospital, Huang Ji used the Buddha Bone Finger to locate and destroy Illuminati hacker Khan’s systems, leading to Khan’s death during a SWAT raid.

• Lin Li persuaded Alan to join Messiah by promising that Huang Ji could cure his genetic defect, and Alan agreed despite warning that the Illuminati was powerful.
• Alan told Lin Li’s companions that the Little Greys ate humans traded to them by the Illuminati, leaving Chuan Zhi devastated about his captured sister.
• Lin Li and Alan drove to Greenwich Hospital to meet Huang Ji and join Chu Shaojun’s group, while Nick and Orange Hawk prepared to stop them.
• Khan seized control of the hospital cameras and defeated Chu Shaojun’s attempt to regain access, but Huang Ji used the Buddha Bone Finger to trace and attack Khan’s computer systems.
• Huang Ji’s attack destroyed Khan’s server array and data, and a SWAT team raided his villa after receiving a report that implicated him.
• Khan reached for his Ministry of Defense ID as the SWAT officers entered, but gunfire from his computer speakers made them mistake him for a threat, and they shot him dead.